EC Orders Closure of Sub-Standard Landfills

The EC ordered Thursday the closure of all sub-standard landfills in the EU. Photo by Sofia Photo Agency

Thursday July 16, is the deadline for sub-standard landfills in the European Union to be brought into line or closed down altogether, the EC ordered.

The information is published in an official press release of the European Commission (EC).

"Member States have had eight years to ensure sites that existed before European legislation on landfills became applicable were brought into line or closed down altogether. The Commission has written to all Member States to remind them of their obligation and to gather data on compliance," the press release reads.

EC further warns that those found to be in breach of the legislation face legal action, adding sub-standard landfills are a hazard to public health and the environment.

The most recent statistics gathered in 2008 concern the 12 new Member States, and revealed the existence of some 1600 sub-standard landfills.

In the recent past the Commission has brought legal action against Spain, France, Italy, Ireland and Greece.

Bulgaria, along with Poland and Romania, has been given extended deadlines with annual decreasing targets for the amount of waste disposed in some non-compliant sites. 

For Bulgaria the deadline is December 31, 2014 and involves 14 landfill sites.

Bulgaria has 191 sub-standard landfills that needed to be closed Thursday. A month ago the Ministry of Environment and Waters informed that only 76 were to be closed while the others have received extensions - information clearly contradicting the official EC one for 14 such landfills.

The country has only 30 landfills that comply with the EU requirements but they are far from sufficient to hold the waste. Because of that 60 sub-standard landfills will remain open after the deadline despite the looming legal threat.

 

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